Beauty and the Beast
by WhipItGoode
Summary: Katara is leaving in the middle of the night with her children to visit her brother Sokka - without her husband. Everything is fine until she comes across a certain painting which makes her look back to the past... I don't own avatar. Please reveiw.ZUTARA
1. Chapter 1 Prolouge

Katara placed the scroll on the bed side table and looked at her sleeping husband.

_I'm sorry_

She repeated the words in her head repeatedly. She didn't want to leave but it was for the best for that moment in time. She looked through the window sadly. It was still dark and he wouldn't wake up until sunrise if she left now it would be alright. She nimbly walked across the room to a red craddle. Katara had always detested the craddle but being married to a stubborn fire lord most things around her was red, at least were she was heading she could see the soft colours of blue. The craddle although she didn't like but the child inside it was her treasure. She gently lifted the baby boy out of the craddle and wrapped him in a satin blue cloth. He was a good baby and he did not stir or wake, in fact he was the baby that least cried out of all her three children. Katara suddenly thought of the others. She needed to get them quickly, she wasn't going to leave her children behind she couldn't part with them. Katara slipped the baby into a sling and put him on her back. She exited without making many sounds. She walked through the large corridor looking at the paintings staring down at her. Most of them were previous fire lords or great benders of the past. Katara dearly long to be back in the south pole, no blood red ceilings or carpets and no paintings of dead people looking at you criticizing your every move. She had mentioned that to her husband before.

"It doesn't seem to you like they're judging you?" she had asked. He had replied quite bluntly.

"They were great leaders Katara show them respect" he answered.

That was the only reply he had given to her about the eerie paintings, but Katara knew there was only a certain collections of paintings she would give respect to and that was the ones of the past Avatars they were the only on in her eyes that had been great leaders. Katara reached a room with quite a large door and she opened it slowly so it would not creak in anyway. She smiled at the sight of the room but most mothers wouldn't. Toys covered the floor whether they were broken, old or brand new. Zuko had always spoiled their children even though she had objected that they would get to comfortable the easy life. He had laughed at that comment and she never knew why and she probably would never be able to find out why he reacted so after she had done this. There were two beds in the room, both at the other sides of the bedroom. She heard faint snores come from the right side and she walked over to it quickly but carefully incase she stepped on a toy and then wake one of them up and hear them scream 'bloody murder'. Katara crept over to the side of the bed and looked at her son who was snoring not loudly but enough to keep someone awake. Her first born looked like an imitation of his father. He had the same eyes, coloured hair and shape of body. She had wondered if Zuko had looked like him when he was younger - before he got his scar. Katara had seen paintings of the younger Zuko but she always thought paintings didn't look exactly the same as the real thing. She shook the boy gently until he woke up a little bit.

"Is that you mum?" he asked half asleep and then closed his eyes again. What would his mother be doing at this time of morning?

"Aang wake up and get dressed but do it quietly okay?" she ordered softly. She had named her son after the reigning Avatar. She was amazed that Zuko even let her call him that after all those days he was trying to kill the Avatar but she guessed that he learned to respect him in the years that had past since Katara helped Aang on his Avatar journey. Aang nodded and rubbed his eyes wearily before making any sign of getting up. Once Katara was proved that he was going to get up she walk over to the bed on the other side of the large room. She smiled when she got to the bed. Out of all her children there was one who really looked like her not to mention got the gift of water bending, but that had been kept a secret a water bending fire nation princess was inappropriate and even with her blue eyes her daughter was disliked. Katara was glad it didn't matter to most people, no one can stop her daughter getting the blue eyes she has anyway. She shook the four year old a little more gently that she did with her six year old. He daughter still couldn't get to sleep with out somebody with her and would be scared to get waken up in the middle of the night.

"Kyoshi wake up. It's alright it's just me" she whispered into the young girl's ear. Katara's husband had named their daughter after another Avatar since they had already had a child named after one Avatar already. She liked the name immensely and so did their aunt Suki who had come from the Avatar Kyoshi's home island. She watched as blue eyes shone in the darkness. The little hugged her mother tightly and she hugged back.

"You need to get dress but don't wear one of those fancy ones" she instructed. The little girl slowly hopped out of bed without showing any sign of tiredness in her face. _How does she get that endergy_ she wondered. Katara wished she could have that amount of energy at her times of need.

"Mum where are we going? And why is it so early?" asked Aang from the other side of the room. Katara told him to quieten down his voice.

"We're going to your Uncle Sokka's place" she answered loudly enough for him to hear.

"We visit Uncle Sokka every two months though and it's so far away" complained Aang.

"That's why we need to leave early" she answered. Katara walked over to Kyoshi who was choosing a dress to wear. Katara pointed out a few that her daughter might like to wear and she picked the blue one. She smiled at Kyoshi's choice and then started to help her put it on.

"Is Dad waiting for us?" asked Kyoshi. The question startled and puzzled Katara. Her mind raced to think of answer she didn't want to tell them what she was doing until they reached her brothers home.

"Dad can't come with us he's got some important business to do" she replied. Kyoshi nodded sadly as her answer. Once Kyoshi was fully dressed Katara packed in her night gown and a few under clothes in her bag and went across the room to do the same with Aang clothes only to be stopped because he was getting changed.

"I'm your mother you know" she said quite annoyed.

"Still" muttered Aang. Katara could tell he was still tired. He didn't blame him it was very early in the morning and he didn't usually have to wake up at this time but they had to leave today and Katara knew it. Once Aang had finished changing and let her in into his 'personal bubble's she packed his bed clothes in the bag and then gave it to Aang for him to carry.

She called Kyoshi and Aang to the door and they did what they were told. She held their hands and they held onto her Kyoshi a bit tighter than Aang but she did not say a word. They went through the door without a sound and started to make there way through the corridor. The paintings looked down on them. Katara suddenly wondered why none of the people in the paintings smiled. If they did they would be that scary unless they did an evil sort of smile like Zuko sometimes did when he was keeping a surprise from her. Katara removed Zuko from her mind. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself for what she was going to do. Instead she looked at the paintings no matter how unattractive they were, at least they kept the thought from her mind. They kept walking at the same pace. No sound was made at all. Katara felt Kyoshi cling onto her arm a bit more.

"They scare me Mum" she whispered quietly. Katara knew at once she was refering to the paintings and she leant down and kissed the top of her head.

"It's alright Kyoshi it's alright" she comforted. Kyoshi hugged her mother's arm and rested her head on it. Kyoshi was still very young and alot of things scared her as they did when Katara was a child. She continued walking and looking at the painting until her eyes rested on one. Her whole body froze as she looked at the painting. It was almost hidden really. It was tiny compared to the others. It was just a small piece of canvas framed in gold hidden in a corner. Katara hadn't looked at the painting for a long time. It showed to people on it. Both very young in age on a beach. It was a very simple painting but a lovely one. The sun was setting on the horrizen with the water reflecting it in a more curvy and distorted kind of way but however how beautiful the background was all the time the eyes were drawn to the two people. It was a happy sight. They had each others hand in the other and were spinning in the shallow water of the beach. Katara didn't know how the artist made them seem they were spinning but he or she did it very well.

"That's you isn't it Mum" said Aang who had noticed the painting she was looking at. Katara nodded.

"That's me and your father" she said. She continued to study the painting in a subconcious thought.

"You're very pretty in the painting. Do you think I'll be as pretty as you?" asked Kyoshi. Katara smiled at the comment.

"Of course you will but only you will be ten times prettier" she answered and heard her daughter giggle. Katara then looked at the title of the painting.

_'Beauty and the Beast'_

It was inscribed beautifully on the frame in fancy letters. Katara continually repeated the title in her head and then started to remember all those years back...

T.B.C...


	2. Chapter 2 The Demon on the Dancefloor

**N.B.R.**

**The setting of this story is before Katara has mastered water bending but has found out how to heal and when Zuko still has Katara's necklace, A.K.A when Zuko still has his cute ponytail !!!**

The Demon on the Dance Floor

"Aang! Aang where are you!?"

Katara's voice was hoarse and dry. She felt her head spinning violently. The fall off Appa left her feeling sick and hurt.

"Don't worry we'll find him he couldn't have fell that far away" comforted her brother. Katara looked at her brother worried. He had fallen into a large tree and then had hit the ground, he was limping terribly and a large cut on his arm was creating a great mass of mess on his clothes. She had tried to clean up the wound but Sokka had objected and said that finding Aang was their main priority right now. Katara wasn't doing that good herself. Cuts and bruises covered her body but they weren't to bad, or not as bad as Sokka's sores at least. The chill of the night air caused Katara to shiver.

_Aang where are you?_

She closed her eyes but continued to walk. She hoped nothing bad had happened to him, he was still like a child that thought everything was a game. At times she wished he was more mature but no matter what Aang always did manage to pull through in hard times. Katara felt a hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be alright Katara. He's the Avatar what can happen to him?" said Sokka. Katara smiled a bit than continued frowning.

_A lot can happen to him_

Sometimes Katara wished this Avatar journey could be easier. It was hard trying to keep undercover and run away from any Fire Nation armies. Not to mention the lack of money always bothered Sokka when they didn't have much to eat. And not to mention Zuko. What kind of person was he? Wanting to capture the Avatar and rule the world. He also stole her necklace! The last thing that reminded her of her mother, the most important thing in her life and he just took and tried to bribe her with it.

_Some prince he is!_

Katara felt anger rush through her veins. He was the typical kind of prince. The princes that thought he was the ruler of the world and thought no one can beat him at anything, the prince that got whatever he wanted and when he wanted. So much for the fairytale princes where, they were strong, brave and handsome, prepared to rescue a poor damsel in distress without being asked too. Prince Zuko was definitely not that kind of prince. He was worse than a typical kind of prince. He was a mean, selfish, hot headed, nasty prince that had an anger management problem and a big one for that too.

_Nasty, angry prince. Nasty, angry prince._

Katara suddenly giggled to herself.

_Angsty prince. Angsty prince. Angsty prince._

That was the perfect word for the deranged prince. 'Angsty'. A mixture of 'nasty' and 'angry' and yet a wonderfully connected to 'angst'. That was definitely Zuko. Katara giggled silently. Insulting Zuko was fun especially from the position she was in even one of Sokka's jokes right now would probably crack her up. The joke died away and Katara started to feel worried again. She was worried about a lot of things now. If her father was okay, if every back home was doing alright, if they would be able to help Aang master all elements before the comet arrived but most of all if Aang was alright. After all the hope of the world laid on his shoulders and without him everything would be gone. No more water benders or earth benders anymore, people would die even more than they were now. Katara could see it happening. Day after day the fire nation taking parts of land until it was gone, every thing covered in the red banner with the burning flame. All people who rebelled killed instantly. This was why they needed Aang to defeat the fire lord. Or everything would be doomed.

Katara pondered on the thought.

If Aang had to destroy the fire lord he would have to do the same to Zuko or he would take the throne and continue the century war like his ancestors had before him. _There is just no good blood in that family _thought Katara and she was sure of it. She even started to wonder if the women in the family were just as bad as what she had seen of the fire nation's royal family. All of them were just blood thirsty crooks who wanted to take more land and became the ruler of the world. That was her nightmare for the world. She needed to take Aang to the North Pole as soon as possible so that they would be one step closer to reaching their goal.

"Katara look"

Katara looked up. They were already out of the forest but the sight was not a happy one. A few meters in front of her the huge fire nation ship was docked. Zuko's fire nation ship.

"Oh no. Aang please don't be"

Suddenly the front of the ship started to open. A large crowd of fire nation soldiers came out. Katara and her brother leapt back to a bush and his, peaking through a gap in the rather spiky plant. They were all laughing, but their joyful laughs felt like ice down her back. Could they possibly be happy about the news of going home? The news that the avatar had finally been captured?

"Sokka do you think he might?" Katara started worriedly. Her brother showed no reaction to the scene that was going on he looked straight at the crowd with his serious face on.

"He might be" he answered sternly. Chills ran down Katara's back she felt herself go cold with the fret of Aang being captured. Katara got rid of all the anxiety and turned to her brother.

"We have to help him Sokka" said her solemn voice. Sokka quickly turned to her and made a face to ask if she was joking.

"We don't even know if he's on there Katara and we might get captured as well what would happen to me if Gran-gran found that I let you purposely go on a fire nation ship that _was_ still in use to find your boyfriend?" asked Sokka trying to convince her that going on the ship was a B.A.D idea.

"Aang is not my boyfriend he's a friend. And this is not about you Sokka it's about the world's future if they get Aang everything would be doomed. Besides did you see that crowd there's probably not a single soul but Aang on that ship" reasoned Katara and she jumped out of the bush and started to race to the ship.

"Katara hang on I'm coming with you" shouted her brother. Katara stopped and smiled at her brother. He really does have a heart. They both silently crept to the boat. It was actually quite small compared to other fire nation ships. _A tiny boat for the angsty prince how lovely_ Katara thought evilly. The more she thought of Prince Zuko the more she hated him. When they were both at the starboard side of the ship they both jumped into the water it was freezing cold but Katara ignored the icy feeling. There was a ladder built in on the ship, and they quickly scurried up.

"I'll make sure that no ones on the deck" said her brother who was above her. Katara looked into the sky above her. The chill of the night made her shiver intensely and the wind blowing was no help at all. She hoped they would find Aang quickly and then they could go someplace where it was warm. She imagined a nice fire keeping her warm. How could something so horrible be something so nice? Fire was dangerous and deadly but it kept people warm and not to mention everyone needed it, who wanted raw penguin meat anyway?

"Coast is clear" stated Sokka and they both hopped on deck. It was like a graveyard no one was there just the eerie black machines that groaned in the darkness of night. Katara tiptoed to a door that led to a stairway to go down. She looked back at Sokka.

"There's bound to be a staircase going up. You take that one I'll go down" she instructed her brother nodded and left her view. Katara started to walk down the metal steps as quietly as she could, they still didn't know if anyone was around and it was too risky to make any big noise. If she ran down probably a huge clanging sounds would be made and someone near the ship would be bound to hear that. Katara made to the next level down and decided to keep going prison cells would be at the bottom of the ship most presumably the soldier's cabins had to take at least two floors of the ship. She continued her journey down the fleet of steps until she reached the bottom. It was a long corridor with around ten doors on each side and Katara was sure that Aang was in one of them. Katara started with the right side of the long corridor but it was an empty cell that looked like it had never been used before, Katara suspected that because it was still in good shape, prisons she had seen weren't that much of a beautiful scene. She went on through the doors but they were all the same, cells that hadn't been use at all except the last one that had a few dirty rags in it, a privy pot and a very foul smell. Katara's hopes started to fall down what if Aang wasn't on the ship what if he had been taken along with the crowd of people to mock the citizen of the town that their last hop was gone? Katara brushed the thought away.

_Aang isn't over there. He has to be here I know it_

Katara leapt over to the other side of the room. They weren't cells on this side but instead contained rhinos which Katara rapidly closed the doors on; she didn't want to get killed while trying to rescue someone. Then she came to the last door. Katara closed her eyes as she gripped the handle of the door with fear. _Aang please be in here, oh please._ Katara opened the door and looked inside. A beautiful carpet lay in the middle of the room embroidered with insignias of all the four nations and other designs. Why would Zuko have a carpet with all the nations' emblems when he was so head on to destroy the other nations? Katara started to observe the room a bit more. A unlit chandelier hung in the middle of the room from the ceiling and six flame lit lamps were in the room. Four of them in corners of the room and two next to a desk that was made out of a dark type of wood that gleamed with polish. Katara entered the room and stood in the middle of it to see the desk a bit more closely. There was picture and a candle that was still burning on it along with a piece of paper on it. The room was a shrine. She walked closer to make out who the person in the picture was. It was a woman and a very beautiful woman too. Her long brown hair went on her shoulders and the robes of gold and red. Katara gaped at the picture. The woman looked like her mother. Not the appearance but the way she looked at whoever painted the black and white picture. She looked happy but wasn't smiling; you could tell she was cheerful just by her eyes that seemed to shine even though it was a black and white painting. Katara smiled at the painting of the lady whoever she was a bowed to show her respect. Then she looked at the piece of paper. Handwriting was scribbled all over it writing the same sentence every time.

_I'm sorry mother, I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry mother, I'm sorry I couldn't save you. _

It wrote the same thing all the way down the piece of paper, back and front but with a different sentence at the right corner of the page.

_I'll make you proud one day, proud that you can call me your son. Zuko._

Katara started at the note. Was Zuko actually a human? Did he actually have feelings deep down inside of him? Katara had already begun to think that Zuko wasn't human at all and didn't feel anything even if someone was pleading for his help and he was the only one who could help them. Katara turned away from the shrine and looked around the room then smiled. She knew what kind of room this was. It was a shrine yet it had the shape of a small ballroom. Suddenly she felt an urge to dance. She knew that if this was a ballroom that the person that the shrine was for danced. _Maybe just one dance to show my respect._ Katara had no idea of who the lady the shrine was made for was but some reason she took a liking to her, just from the picture. After all she did seem pleasant and not like anything that she had expected from the royal family's bloodline. Katara thought of what dance she should dance. She knew a few but they weren't complicated. She decided to do her favorite dance that she had learnt; her mother had taught her this dance maybe that was why she liked it so much. Katara got in the stance of the first position and closed her eyes while dancing with an imaginary person. The dance was a called the 'whispering demon' because in the end the boy that danced whispered something in the girls ear, it was usually a small compliment but Katara remembered that her mother said when she danced the whispering demon with Katara's father he had whispered 'I love you'. Katara giggled a bit at the thought and started to dance humming the music in her head. She imagined that people were in the room too, in lovely ball gowns and suits dancing the same dance and that the chandler that hung was lit and spreading light across the room making it a beautiful scene. She didn't put a face on the person she was dancing with though, she didn't know who to picture. Aang was too much of a brother for her to dance with and she knew Sokka would never dance even if her life depended on it. Katara for once remembered she didn't know many guys that she liked romantically. Nether the less she kept on dancing. She did the steps perfectly and to her surprise didn't hit anything in the room back home she hit so many things while dancing that she almost made a crystal cup fall once.

The end of the dance was coming closer. Katara loved the end of the dance. The male dancer at the end would wrap their arms around the waist of the girl and then he would whisper the words he had to say. She thought it was especially romantic and had dreams about it when she first learned the dance. Imagine if she found her true love while dancing this dance? That would be such a dreamy moment, Katara felt dizzy just thinking about. Katara felt giddy, the next step was it. She decided she would just imagine it since she was dancing with no one. Katara finished the last step smiling but then she froze.

She felt warmth around her waist and back and she could feel a breath on her ear.

"Hello beautiful" whispered the voice. Katara opened her eyes and span around still in the warm embrace of her capture. She looked into the eyes of the person. They were demon like eyes, gold eyes – Zuko's eyes. The prince looked down and her and smiled evilly. Katara wanted to pull away but she couldn't. She felt warm and her body resisted moving even a little bit. _Come on body move!_ She looked back at the prince's eyes.

"Look's like we've got a fish out of water"

T.B.C


	3. Chapter 3 Shadow of the Moon

"Katara

"Katara! Let go of her you jerk! Katara!"

"Sokka I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Katara cried to her brother as Sokka threw insults at the laughing Zuko. Their trip had been for nothing. Aang wasn't here he probably would be alive and worried looking for them. But Aang wasn't going to be safe anymore and she knew that very well. Katara felt a few tears run down her face, why did she do that silly dance anyway? If she hadn't had done it she might have found that Aang wasn't there and they could've gotten off the ship before anyone noticed they were even on the ship. Zuko dragged her closer to her brother who was retained by three fire nation soldiers. Zuko and her brother eyes were glued to the others.

"Let my sister go!" shouted Sokka. Zuko smiled mischievously at Sokka and made a small laugh. Katara felt Zuko grip her more tightly but not in a harsh why but surprising a soothing and comforting sort of way. What was Zuko doing?

"Who's going to save your sister now?" Zuko said softly to her brother and he put his mouth close to her ear. Katara inhaled sharply at the feel of his icy, cold breath on her ear and she looked at her brother who looked as if he was ready to murder someone and make it bloody. Sokka leapt at the prince but the three soldiers held him back. Zuko stopped his smile and looked at the soldiers seriously.

"We only need the girl let the boy go and warn his Avatar friend. We'll keep her as a hostage" he instructed. Sokka's face went blank and he tried to free himself again. This time the soldiers were unaware and he nearly got free of their grip. All three of them hauled him back a few feet away from the prince and they tightened their grasp on him. Sokka kept on tugging but the soldiers were prepared.

"Let my sister go! I'll stay here!" he screamed at Zuko but Zuko just laughed mockingly at the speech.

"Why would a want two benders on my tail you and the Avatar are easier to defeat?" asked Zuko. Sokka replied the insult with a war cry and another attempt to lunge at Zuko. Katara tried to free herself and hit Zuko but the grip he had on her was too strong.

"Sokka I'm sorry! Don't worry I'll get out! Don't try and come after me!" Katara pleaded. She knew it was her that should stay. It was her fault. All her fault that they were trapped, that now Aang might have the risk of getting caught to now.

"Katara are you crazy! I promised Gran gran I'll look after you!" shouted her brother back. Zuko looked at both of them and then looked back at the soldiers.

"Take him away" he ordered coldly.

"KATARA DON'T WORRY I'LL GET YOU BACK! I SWEAR I'LL GET YOU BACK!" promised her brother. Katara smiled and made a bit of a sob at the same time. She watched as the soldiers took her brother away and even looked when they were out of sight. Suddenly she felt a pull from the back of her shirt and she yelped from the surprise. She looked at Zuko who stared at her angrily.

"Come with me" he said in a dark and secretive sort of manner, and he pulled the back of her shirt again with a bit less force. He dragged her down the metal stairs in a medium pace but not to fast so Katara wouldn't trip from being dragged along on the stairs. Their footsteps clanked loudly and she was thankful that she had tiptoed before when she went down the stairs. Katara started to remember their surroundings of the path they were taking, they were going the same way she took when she went on board. Katara drew her eyes to Zuko and she watched him as they traveled down the flights stairs. It looked like there was something wrong with him. Something making him sad or worried but she couldn't tell what it was. _Of course there is something wrong with him; he's trying to destroy the world's last hope there has to be something wrong with him _she thought. She didn't want to start worrying over a nasty prince who had tried to kill her and her brother, stole her necklace, chased them all over the place and zapped red fire at them. Katara continued to stare at Zuko. Something from him made him pleasing to look at in a way. A thought buzzed in her mind which alarmed her. Did she think Zuko was hot!? That he was actually cute somehow!?

_No. Certainly not._

Katara looked at Zuko a bit more carefully. _Well he does have some good muscles I guess and he probably would look like a pretty cute guy if he didn't have the scar. _They reached the lowest floor on the ship and setting came back to her clearly. This one was the one she went to before and where she found the shrine and was she got caught. Katara brushed the thought of her capture away and set her mind on what Zuko was doing. He opened one of the metal doors close to them and chucked her in violently. She landed flat on the ground and used her arms to pull herself back up.

"Don't you dare try to escape or I'll find the Avatar without a hostage to help me" he threatened and he slammed the door in her face. All light from the outside disappeared. Katara sat there and started to cry as she heard Zuko barking orders for someone to stand guard at the door. Why was this happening? Why was she here? Why was she like this? Katara forced the tears back. _Sokka will come for you and Aang too, and then the family will all be back again. _The positive thoughts helped her and she looked around her surroundings. There was nothing there but a little privy hole, a mattress that looked like it was infested with the entire population of bed bugs and a window with bars on it to stop her from getting out. The voices from the door vanished and new thoughts entered Katara's mind. Where was Aang now? Was he looking for them? Was he scared? Katara couldn't bear thinking Aang being cold and alone in the darkness. She admitted she was like a mother to him in a way, always helping him and cooking the food for him. Come to think of it she was a mother sort of figure to Sokka as well. Katara smiled at how it was ironic. She remembered before when her mother was still there she could act as a spoiled child and always have someone to do work for her. Ever since her mum died she had to grow up and do work. A tear fell from the thought of her mother. The fire nation was pure evil for killing her mother. They had ruined so many lives and hers was just one of them. She banished the thought away and focused back on Aang and her brother. She looked through the barred window and saw the moon glimmering back at her.

_Sokka, Aang wherever you are please be alright._

Beauty and the Beast

"Go tell your Avatar friend to come for your sister. We'll be waiting" said the fire nation soldier. Sokka hauled himself up and started to run at the man but they closed the door before he could get there. He howled in anger and fell to the ground. He banged his fist on the ground and yelled.

"KATARA!"

Tears streamed down his face and he gritted his teeth. _I'll be back for you_. If the fire nation prince wanted him to get Aang and come back that was what he was going to do. But they were going to have a little surprise. Sokka pulled himself off the ground and ran into the forest and started to call Aang's name out. He ran instead of walking and ignored the cuts he was getting from the plants around him.

"Sokka? Sokka? Is that you?"

Sokka smiled at the sound of Aang's voice and he followed it until he could see the little bald monk holding the reins of the sky bison. The Avatar's face went white as his eyes met his own.

"Sokka where is Katara?"

Beauty and the Beast

Katara's head flung up as she heard her brother call her name. She felt tired and drowsy as she lay back down on the mattress (which turned out to be hard as a rock) and sighed deeply. It probably wasn't her brother's voice but just her dream, and that was particularly odd since she didn't remember dreaming about anything. She closed her eyes once more but opened them when she heard someone knock on the metal door.

"Come in" she croaked. He voice was cracked and dry and she longed for a drink of water. She sat up slowly as the door creaked open. An old man came into view who seemed to be carrying a pot of tea.

"Hello. I was wondering if you'd like to have a cup of tea. But if you're tired I can come back later" said the stranger. Katara looked at the old man curiously and then smiled.

"Thank you a cup of tea sounds really good right now" she answered her voice a little bit better. The old man smiled and entered the cell then closed the door behind him which creaked noisily again. He sat down on the cold metal floor and put the pot of tea down. Katara hopped of the bed and sat down with him. He revealed two cups from his jacket and starting to pour out the tea.

"I don't think you know who I am. My name is Iroh, I'm Zuko's uncle and you probably know who he is" said the man called Iroh. Katara snorted at the speech.

"After him chasing the Avatar, my brother and I all over the world I should know him enough. My name is Katara"she replied. This time Iroh laughed and Katara couldn't find why. She hadn't said anything funny. The laughter of the old man died and he handed the cup to her.

"My nephew is a bit head strong and foolish yes, but he has good inside him you'll see" said Zuko's uncle. Katara wasn't that sure if she wanted to see Zuko's good side. If his bad side was really bad than his good side wouldn't be any better. She took a sip of the tea and felt it slip down her throat warming her body and giving a tingling sensation down her spine.

"This is really good tea" she complemented and Iroh beamed with proud.

"Thank you. This is jasmine tea Zuko likes it very much as well" said Iroh. Katara froze at the comment slightly confused, why was he making connections between Zuko and herself? What was he trying to do match make them up?

"Why are you being kind to me? I'm a hostage here" she said bluntly. Iroh's head went down and he stared at his own cup of tea.

"My nephew hasn't treated you kind. I want you to have some happiness at your stay here. I hope Zuko starts to treat you a little bit better after he gets over what you have done" he said. Katara was even more confused at Zuko's uncle now. What had she done to make Zuko hate her even more other than go on his ship? Then she realized it.

"That woman. That woman is his mother isn't it? Or was his mother" she said quietly. Iroh nodded in despair.

"Many things have distorted physically and emotionally in my nephew through his life and that is just one of them" said Iroh. Katara looked with interest. She guessed another one of the 'things' that Iroh was talking about was Zuko's scar. She had always wondered where Zuko got his scar from. Most of the time she thought that it was just a training accident or when fighting rebels or something like that. The scar always made Zuko look more evil and wicked in some sort of strange way but Katara couldn't find out why it did so.

"The scar on his face is another isn't it" she said softly. Iroh's face went even more solemn as he nodded back at her. A long moment of silence stretched between them as they both took a few sips of their tea.

"Where did he get it? The scar he has" she asked hoping she hadn't offending him by thinking he would be so open that he would tell a horror of his nephew but her curiosity got away with her. To her surprise he opened his mouth a little bit to answer but then he looked down and closed his mouth after a short decision he made.

"No I won't tell you try and get it from him yourself. Then you will see" answered Iroh. Katara felt a slight pang of disappointment and confusedness to the response given to her. She knew it would probably be impossible to get anything out of Zuko and what would she see after she found out (or if she found out). That Zuko wasn't that much of an Angsty Prince? She nodded her reply to be polite and smiled then handed back her cup to the old man.

"Thanks for the tea"

"It was my pleasure and it was very nice meeting you Miss Katara" laughed the old man and he stood up and then bowed to her before leaving. Katara went back on the small mattress and looked through the window out to the moon. It wasn't full that night but a little over half. She wondered what made the moon dark. It was like the shadows of it were not light came from. It was the shadow of the moon.

Beauty and the Beast

Iroh closed the door behind him and smiled. She was a very nice girl and was quite a bit like Zuko in a way. They would make a nice couple if the relaxed around each other. Iroh laughed at the thought of Zuko having a girlfriend and then turned to go back up the stairs. He looked back again and saw Zuko staring crossly at him with his arms folded.

"You're not meant to mingle with prisoners" said the teenaged prince. Iroh reacted calmly at what his nephew said and walked a few stairs up.

"She deserved to have a cup of tea" said Iroh plainly and Zuko's eyebrows bended down.

"It is not appropriate to-

"You'll find she is a very nice girl Zuko just wait and see" interrupted Iroh. Zuko pointed to the cell the water bender was kept in.

"Do you know what she did? She went into her shrine! She went into _her_ shrine!' repeated Zuko angrily. Neither of the two made a sound until Zuko calmed down and lowered his hand.

"She- she was doing that dance. The same dance too" he said quietly. Iroh looked at his nephew understandingly. He put a hand on his shoulder and looked straight into his nephew's eyes.

"She was very kind to show respect to someone she didn't even know. You should thank her for that, your mother would've liked that" said Iroh comfortingly. Zuko sighed and took his uncle's hand off his shoulder.

"Fine" he breathed out with a touch of hate in his voice and he walked back up the stairs. Iroh watched him go sadly. His nephew still had much to learn and so much to understand. He looked back at the prison cell where the young water bender lay down in sleep. It was funny how similar they were and how different they were at the same time. But there was something else about this girl that traveled with the Avatar. His hopes were in her. His hopes that she could help his nephew and relieve him from the pain that lay inside him. Zuko already had enough trouble going through puberty anyway. Even without that his nephew would probably still be twisted and demented anyway. This girl could be the key to it all. Iroh grinned mischievously. After all they made a cute couple.

T.B.C

**Author's Note:**

**I spent ages trying to make this right. Please R&R it took ages. Enjoy! **

**Ephesians5.19**


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